'Dancing with the Stars' Pro Val Chmerkovskiy Suspended After Viral TikTok Post

The fastest-moving entertainment story of the week started, as these stories now do, with a post that no longer exists. Val Chmerkovskiy — a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars for 15 years, per reports — has been suspended from the show for one week after a TikTok post referencing the Will Smith Oscars slap went viral and drew a formal response from the show's production company.

The post

According to Nine.com.au's report of the incident, Chmerkovskiy — who is partnered with actress Jenna Dewan this season — appeared to react to judging of his wife, fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson, by judge Carrie Ann Inaba. His since-deleted TikTok status read, in the words quoted across multiple outlets: "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night" — an unmistakable reference to the meme born of Will Smith hitting Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Oscars.

The suspension

The response was swift. Production company BBC Studios suspended the 40-year-old dancer from the following week's show, issuing a statement — reported via NBC News — that the well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable, that the social media post was inappropriate, and that it did not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. He will sit out one week of the competition.

The apology

Chmerkovskiy addressed the backlash on Instagram Stories, in a statement reported by the same coverage. He said he made a poor decision in referencing a meme about keeping his wife's name out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply — and that doing so was genuinely never his intention. The apology has not, at the time of writing, changed the suspension.

A deleted post is never really deleted — and this week, the screenshot outran the dancer.

Why this one went so viral

The story had every ingredient the internet loves: a beloved long-running show, a real-life couple on the same cast, a judge-versus-dancer tension, and a reference to the single most replayed moment in modern awards-show history. Within hours, the deleted post was being discussed far beyond the show's own audience — which is precisely the point. In 2026, a celebrity's smallest post is a press release, a headline and, occasionally, a suspension notice. We will update this story if the show or Chmerkovskiy comments further.